Sub-Zero Alpha Station
October 31, 2008
It’s a dramatic title, you’ll give me that, but this post demostrates that sometimes I’m lazy as hell.
Last night I was waiting for the train and it was a cold night. It had been raining in the morning and then the sky cleared out and the sun saw no reason to stick around.
So I was standing there with trains rushing around me creating a breeze on an otherwise still night, black as a bible and twice as cold. I had my hands stuffed into my pockets as the cold bit through and I was thinking of the hat in my bag. My bag was on my back keeping me warm and my hands were in my pockets so I decided against a short term investement of cold hands to cover my head, which would have warmed up my body.
I stayed rooted thinking of the train coming for ten minutes thinking how much warmer I’d be when the train comes. Eventually I realised how stupid I was being and got my hat. Is how an addictive personality works? I have no survival instinct. Actually, none of this is fair. I’m just lazy.
It’s like people who don’t pay attention and blame ADHD. I have my doubts about this, because there are loads of kids who say they can’t concentrate in school and yet can get totally absorbed in video games for hours. Hmmm, funny that. “I have a low tolerance threshold for boring things.” That’s more honest. Although if there’s a drug that helps me find bland stuff interesting, I’d take it.
I think doctors who are confronted with kids who have ADHD should start addressing the problem and then loose track and do something else.
“Doctor, can we focus here, please?”
“No, sorry.”
I don’t know, perhaps that’s not fair. Maybe these kids need our support, it’s not for me to say.
Weekend coming up. Me and Mr Angry are doing another podcast which drops on Monday or Tuesday. It should sound pretty good because we’ve got some decent sound equipment and if we can get that working, then we’ll be laughing. Maybe literally, I don’t know.
I’ll leave you with the words of Sylvia Plath, who said: “Everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise.”
Have a great weekend.
3 comments
I am sure that a lot of kids do get diagnosed with ADHD incorrectly, but my cousin has it and believe me when I say that true ADHD is very easily distinguished from “not that interested in school”.
It’s not the lack of concentration that’s the distinguishing feature, in my opinion – it’s the screaming tantrums combined with 15-30 minutes of kicking, punching and headbutting a wall.
Black as a bible and twice as cold, I am so going to steal that phrase Cliff.
There is a drug that makes bland stuff interesting, It’s called booze, let’s face it half the stuff on late night TV is unwatchable unless you’ve just come in from the pub.
You’ll have to ask from Dylan Thomas (speaking of pubs) first -it’s kind of his, from the opening line of Under Milk Wood: “It is Spring, moonless night in the small town, starless and bible-black, the cobblestreets silent…”
I didn’t even get there first – Starless And Bible Black is a tune by the Stan Tracey Quartet inspired by the same.
Katy – I’m not denying it exists, I’m saying it’s over diagnosed. Like how kids and teens get put on anti-depressants. I think the pills help millions of people, but I’m also wary doctors too quick to fix symptoms and behaviour which aren’t ailment related.
Leave a comment. Play nice. I will turn this blog around.